SCHOCed!

SCHOC-ed!

I was astounded when my buddies Giovanni and Dru-burger came back from their recent trip to the Shaky Isles laden with scrumptious chocolate, that their mega-find was unavailable to buy in Sydney. ‘Unavailable’ and ‘Sydney’ are not two words I find sit easily together. This chocolate is amazing, with capital Zing. Roger Simpson’s Schoc chocolates combine the wildest and most innovative of flavours with superb chocolate to give a spectacular mouth explosion of flavour. At present I’m surrendering my way through the Lime Chilli block, which in addition to the bitter dark chocolate flavour delivers little micro bursts of intense lime and chilli. I would love to try the Cardamom, Frankincense, Myrrh and Gold, or Pink Peppercorn, but alas I can’t buy it here. And I think a trip to Greytown, NZ, up the windy road from Wellington over the Rimataku Ranges every time I feel like a hit is really pushing a food addiction to a ridiculous level. Not that I’m a chocoholic (so many addictions, so little time) but I do adore a well crafted, interesting bit of chocky from time to time. The goss, as told to me by G & D-B, is that snooty old David Jones stores and the Essential Ingredient refused to stock it on the basis of the feeble excuse that there were already enough chocolatiers in and around Sydney. Bollocks, I say. I’ve never tasted anything like this before and so cutely wrapped up in packets that resemble a tobacco pouch, you know there’s addictive material inside. I’ve only tried the ‘tablets’ – easier to transport back home by plane – but you can see on their website they have many more tempting morsels.

Admittedly TEE stocks it in Melbourne, but step up to the plate Sydney food providores and get in some of this good stuff. So what the All Blacks won the rugby! Give this pioneer from the land of the long white-chocolate cloud a go.

Schoc Chocolates, 177 Main St Greytown, NZ. www.chocolatetherapy.com.